If it follows last year, after next week's episode one more person will be sent to LCK to compete against Kristin, and they will NOT reveal the winner of that battle in LCK, but instead wait until the broadcast the following week to show us who made it back.

However, I have no idea how SaveAChef is going to work into this: the implication was that the SAC winner would compete next week in LCK, so I don't know if that means another three-sided competition or what. And if they are waiting for SAC does that mean that the finale hasn't even been filmed yet? Or are they just kind of misleading us and the SAC winner will be back next season? It's all very odd...

They do not film the finale until just before it happens. They have at least 2 or 3 months between the last episode and finale. Some return with that much hair growth! So there is plenty of time to get the favorite into the first round of the finale.

I thought Lizzie might have it the way Tom was eating her stew. Dang, I thought he was going to finish the bowl and use the bread to clean it.

I think it is a bit pre-determined that Kristin will be back for a Kristin vs. Sheldon showdown...so unless Kristin craps the bed and puts something up that is obviously disgusting I feel like we will see her at the finale.

They do not film the finale until just before it happens. They have at least 2 or 3 months between the last episode and finale. Some return with that much hair growth! So there is plenty of time to get the favorite into the first round of the finale.

Well, I guess since this week was the last SAC and they closed the final voting at noon PST today they could be filming the final LCK right now (go Kristen!!) and could be starting production on the finale even as we speak (okay, that's kind of a cool thought). That's what, five days to edit and post-produce the LCK segment for airing after next week's episode and then two weeks to edit and post the finale? If that's how it happens I will be seriously impressed...

I think it is a bit pre-determined that Kristin will be back for a Kristin vs. Sheldon showdown...so unless Kristin craps the bed and puts something up that is obviously disgusting I feel like we will see her at the finale.

The Save-a-Chef winner got to compete in this LCK finale, so they must have just taped it this past week.

Lizzie won over CJ for Save-a-Chef. I am soooo pissed. Guess I should have voted, I figured CJ won win in another landslide like the other weeks...

Tom gave Kristin, Josh and Lizzie 30 minutes to cook any dish they wanted.

Josh chose venison but he undercooked it, so he's out.
Tom thought Lizzie's and Kristin's dished were both good -- and we got left with a cliffhanger! We won't know until next week who goes to the finals.

I figured this was a recent cook off as they were in a true kitchen and not out in the wild. Also, Kristen now has tattoos on her left arm and Josh's beard is longer and squared off. We all wondered how save-a-chef would work for this year and since the final two in the voting were in the kitchen, this challenge had to have happened this past week.

The previews for the finale were careful to highlight only Brooke and Sheldon so the suspense was sustained as to who will join them.

I figured this was a recent cook off as they were in a true kitchen and not out in the wild. Also, Kristen now has tattoos on her left arm and Josh's beard is longer and squared off. We all wondered how save-a-chef would work for this year and since the final two in the voting were in the kitchen, this challenge had to have happened this past week.

Josh also lost weight, and when Kristen commented on it he said it was because he had seen himself on TV.

They were in the kitchen at Craft, which is where the finale starts. When Tom said that they were going directly from LCK to the finale, I don't think he was exaggerating. It looks like they flew both SAC contenders in and then really did do what I posited above: LCK was filmed last week as soon as the voting closed, followed by the first round of competition that afternoon. Makes me wish I'd driven over to Craft and tried to peek in the windows!